9,000 public servants are paid a minimum income of €100,000

AT least 9,000 public servants are earning a minimum of €100,000 per year, according to a report in the Irish Farmers Journal.

At a time when their lower-paid colleagues are taking to the streets in protest at pay and pension cuts, an elite group enjoys annual six figure pay cheques. In addition, most top public servants can boost basic salary by up to 20% through bonuses, overtime and allowances,

Among the top earners are the CEOs of the ESB, Eirgrid, An Post, Bord Gais, Bord na Mona and the IDA, with ESB chief Padraig McManus topping the scale at e523,000. This breaks down into a basic salary of e353,000 (2007 figure) topped up by pension contributions, a bonus and other benefits.

In agriculture, the top paid earners include Adrian Neilan, CEO of Bord na gCon on an estimated e160,531, Bord Bia CEO Aidan Cotter on e158,824 and Teagasc CEO Gerry Boylan at e158,824.

Socialist party member Joe Higgins criticised the high salaries paid to those at management level at a time when low and middle income earners are feeling the pinch of pay cuts and pension levies.

“Low to middle income earners are getting crucified and while top earners are offering to take pay cuts, to be honest they mean nothing in terms of their overall earnings. Some of these people are on 10 times the average industrial wage.

“The whole thing is quite sickening, it is hardly a sacrifice to take a 10% pay cut when you are earning half a million. These people are not feeling the pinch.”

However, Mark Fielding, CEO of ISME, representative of small businesses, said cutting the top earners’ salaries could drive them from their jobs. “If we actually cut the top peoples’ salaries, we’re not going to get the best people for the job. If you are looking for top quality, you are going to have to pay top dollar.

“In comparison to what bankers are being paid, they are not paid excessively. If you are looking for someone to manage a business with couple of billion turnover and you go into the open market, you won’t get people for anything less than what they are being paid now.”